The OptiGrill

By Tefal

I love a new kitchen gadget, what foodie doesn’t?

It’s an excuse to act like a child again on receiving a new toy - eyes wide open and gleaming with excitement as the packaging is unwrapped of its contents, and plugged into action for the first time. Getting creative in the kitchen and using a new device, never falls short of being rather fun. With some great ingredients to hand, mixed with a pinch of culinary inventiveness, nothing inspires enthusiasm more than cooking up a good plate of food.

So when Tefal sent me their latest kitchen gadget, the OptiGrill, I simply couldn’t wait to get stuck into cooking up a treat with the new toy on the market. As the world leader in non-stick cookware and electrical appliances, Tefal offer a wide range of stylish, high quality and innovative products to assist you in the kitchen. The OptiGrill itself is like having a professional chef permanently installed in your kitchen – what more could you ask for following a busy day in the office? All ingredients are cooked exactly how you like, which for many of us, when it comes to rustling up a juicy steak, cooking technique and timing is key. 

The OptiGrill removes any stress or worry from the cooking process. There’s no need to constantly hover over a frying pan, or peer under the grill, as this gadget has timing and precision down to the last 10 seconds, keeping all the moisture and flavours of any ingredient intact. Its unique automatic sensor allows it to adapt to the size, thickness and quantity of ingredients and cooks it accordingly. With the options of cooking meat from rare to well-done with a beeper installed to inform you at each stage of the cooking process, it doesn’t come much easier or snazzier than this. And it isn’t just limited to cooking a nice chunky, juicy steak of any size (as much as we love them); the OptiGrill is also good for cooking burgers, chicken, bacon, sausages, fish, vegetables and even the cheese for your burgers. This gadget really gives you a chance to get creative in your kitchen without any unnecessary stress – why not give it a go?

Here’s what I cooked up on my Optigrill:

Griddled Tuna with a Courgette and Asparagus Salad, 

topped with Salsa Verde 

Serves 2

Ingredients 

2 tuna steaks 

Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

Salt & Pepper

For the salad

2 courgettes 

(Cook's note ~ if you can get hold of  yellow courgettes, they bring a summery vibe to the dish)

12 asparagus spears

A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

½ a lemon, juiced

Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

(Cook’s suggestion ~ if you like a bit of a kick, add half a finely chopped red chilli)

Salt & Pepper

For the salsa verde

A handful of fresh parsley, mint and basil

50g capers

50g gherkins

2 anchovy fillets

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

1tbsp Dijon mustard

1tbsp red wine vinegar

2tbsp Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

Salt & Pepper

Method

v  Turn on the OptiGrill and program it to the vegetable setting.

v  After a few minutes, the light on the OptiGrill will have turned a dark pink colour, at which point it will then beep to announce it’s heated to the programed temperature and ready for cooking.

v  To make the salsa verde, finely chop the herbs, capers, gherkins and anchovy fillets, and combine in a bowl with the crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and oil. Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste.  Alternatively, you can throw the whole lot in a food processor and blitz; however, I find the best results are by hand. Once made, set to one side whilst you prepare the rest of the dish.

v  To prepare the salad, trim an inch off the end of each asparagus to remove any woodiness in the stalk. Drizzle them with oil and season with salt and pepper.

v  Place the asparagus horizontally across the griddle and close the lid. Cook until the light turn’s red, (this takes roughly 8 minutes) at which point the asparagus should be cooked.

Cook’s note ~ Do not be tempted to open the lid of the OptiGrill during cooking, as you will then have to start to process of preheating again.

v  Whilst the asparagus is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad by slicing the courgettes lengthways into ribbons using a potato peeler or a mandolin (if you have one). Coat the ribbons with oil.

v  When the asparagus has cooked, remove from the griddle and immediately reset the OptiGrill to the previous setting. Put the asparagus into a bowl and set to one side.

v  Once the OptiGrill has reheated, lay the courgette ribbons on the griddle and close the lid. Cook for 4 minutes until they are chargrilled on both sides (the light on the OptiGrill should be flashing orangey-yellow at this point). Remove from the griddle and lay them on a plate, and season with salt and pepper whilst they're still warm.

v  Adjust the cooking program to the fish icon on the OptiGrill and let it preheat. Rub each tuna steak with oil on both sides, and season with salt and pepper.

v  Place the tuna on the griddle and close the lid. To cook it rare, wait for 4-5 minutes after the cooking process has begun and the light on the OptiGrill turns yellow - this symbolises that the tuna has reached the ‘rare’ stage of the cooking process (The OptiGrill will also beep to inform you at this point).

v  Combine the courgette and asparagus in a bowl with the chopped mint and lemon juice (if you are wanting to add chilli for a little extra heat, add it at this stage). Drizzle with oil and lightly season to taste.

v  Assemble the salad onto each plate and position the tuna steak on top. Finish the dish off with a generous dollop of salsa verde.

v  Serve with a nice large glass of chilled Semillon-Sauvignon. 

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 Fillet Steak served with Wild Mushrooms, Purple Sprouting and Asparagus, with Truffle Wedges and a Roasted Smoked Garlic and Wholegrain Mustard Mayonnaise. 

Serves 2

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Ingredients

2 8oz fillet steaks

CotswoldGold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

Salt & Pepper

For the truffle wedges

3 large Maris Piper potatoes

CotswoldGold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

CotswoldGold Truffle Oil

Salt & Pepper

For the vegetable accompaniment

200g fresh wild mushrooms

Cook’s note ~ Wholefoods or Tesco both sell these

200g purple sprouting

8 asparagus spears

50g butter

A handful of fresh flat leaf parsley

Salt & Pepper

For the mayonnaise

Cook’s note ~ I prefer to make my own mayonnaise, as I find it tastes so much better than the jarred stuff, especially when you are compiling it onto such luxurious ingredients. I have factored the ingredients and method into this recipe, however if you prefer to use the jarred version, you will need 5 tablespoons for this dish.

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1 free range egg yolk

1tbsp Dijon mustard

½tbsp white wine vinegar

Juice of ½ a lemon

250ml groundnut oil

Salt & Pepper

1 smoked garlic bulb

Cook’s note ~ if you can’t get hold of any smoked garlic, and then alternatively the next best thing is to roast the garlic in some of Cotswold Gold’s Smoked Rapeseed Oil.

1tbsp wholegrain mustard

CotswoldGold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

Method

v  Preheat the oven to 200’C

v  First things first, take the steaks out of the fridge – steak should always be cooked from room temperature.

v  To prepare the roasted smoked garlic for the mayonnaise, slice the garlic bulb in half horizontally and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

v  To make the mayonnaise itself, whisk the egg yolk, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice together in a bowl using an electric whisk until all the ingredients have combined together. Very slowly, start pouring a little of the groundnut oil in at a time, whisking constantly until the oil has been incorporated. Continue to gradually add the oil and whisk until you have a thick, creamy mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper and store in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Cook’s note ~if you add the oil too quickly, the mixture will split. However don’t be disheartened if this happens - the mayonnaise can be salvaged by putting a tablespoon of water into a clean bowl and gradually whisk in the split mixture until it’s completely emulsified.

v  Once the garlic has cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Then carefully scoop out the flesh of the garlic into a bowl, and using a back of a spoon, crush it to form a paste. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and mix until you have a combined consistency.

v  Spoon 5 tablespoons of the mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the garlic and mustard mixture. Season to taste and return to the fridge until needed.

                ~

v  To make the truffle wedges, boil a saucepan of water with an added pinch of salt. Thoroughly scrub each potato and chop into medium-sized wedges. Parboil them on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft, but still hold their shape. Drain thoroughly in a colander and leave them to dry completely of any excess water.

v  Once dried, gently toss the wedges in the plain rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

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v  In preparation for cooking the steak, turn on the OptiGrill and program it to the correct setting by pressing the red meat icon picturing a steak. Allow it 5 minutes to preheat.

       ~

v  Meanwhile, to prepare the vegetable element of the dish, trim the ends off the asparagus and purple sprouting spears and gently steam them over a saucepan of simmering water for 5 minutes.

Cook’s note ~ try to avoid blanching or boiling purple sprouting as it tends to lose its vibrant colour during this process – steaming is key to keeping its purple colour intact.

v  Brush the mushrooms to remove any dirt, and chop any large ones in half.

 Cook’s note ~ mushrooms easily absorb water. Therefore don’t be tempted to wash them clean of any dirt, as the water will then be released during the cooking process, leaving you with something rather soggy and unpleasant.

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v  At this point, the OptiGrill will have preheated, whereby it will beep to alert you that it’s ready for action. Rub the steaks with oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the griddle and close down the lid. Roughly within 6 minutes, the light on the OptiGrill will have turned yellow, informing you that the steak has now reached the ‘rare’ stage of cooking. At this point, if this is how you like your steak cooked, this is your cue to remove it from the griddle. For medium, leave to cook until the light turn’s orange and red for well-done. Once cooked to your liking, set to one side and allow to rest for a few minutes whilst you finish the dish.

            ~

v  Melt the butter in a large pan and add the mushrooms. Stir-fry for a few minutes before adding the asparagus and purple sprouting. Cook for a further few minutes, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

v  To finish the dish, drizzle the wedges with truffle oil and serve alongside the steak and vegetables with a big dollop of the vibrant mayonnaise.

v  This dish is best paired with a large glass of Argentinian Malbec!

Where to buy your OptiGrill

Product imagery sourced from Tefal